"We've arrived."
Riveria's voice floated through the dimness like a solemn echo. Her words weren't an announcement, but a statement. In front of her, at the heart of the silent cave, lay the door where Kael had fallen. The place remained exactly as they had left it, but a different energy filled the air—denser, heavier, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Her eyes, always serene, now gleamed with a mix of determination and caution. Before her, the Knossos door stretched across the ground like a scar—a perfectly carved threshold, too clean and too precise to be the work of the dungeon's natural chaos.
Gareth, the veteran dwarven warrior, was the first to approach. His footsteps echoed loudly on the ground, firm as he was. He knelt before the door and extended his thick fingers, touching the surface of the material with the reverence of a craftsman recognizing the masterpiece of another.
"This…" he murmured. "This is Orichalcum. No doubt about it."
Such a firm declaration was rare, especially from someone as seasoned as him. His voice, usually steady and confident, now carried a tinge of awe.
The others approached cautiously. Bete sniffed the air, restless. The Amazon twins exchanged glances, more serious than usual. Lefiya clutched her staff tightly. Ais remained silent, her gaze fixed on the door as if she could already see what lay beyond.
Finn stepped forward and frowned, catching the tone in Gareth's voice.
"How is this possible?" he asked, scrutinizing the metallic surface.
Gareth could only shake his head. Even a dwarven expert with countless years of experience had never seen anything like this.
Gareth pointed at the floor with his jaw.
"Not just the door. Look at the floor. Pure Adamantite. No fractures, no imperfections. This was crafted with a level of precision not seen since the ancient days of Daidalos. Breaking this would be like trying to split a mountain with a kitchen knife."
"And let's not forget the black stone that covers everything," Riveria added, brushing her fingers along the floor around the door. "Obsidian Soldier. Suppresses magic. Look, I'm no more powerful than a novice. Whoever built this, it was made to withstand anything."
"Then nothing… there's no way through?" Bete growled, frustrated, his ears twitching with tension.
Finn fell silent for a moment. His eyes were fixed on the door, analyzing every angle, every centimeter, as if expecting it to speak to him. Finally, he said.
"Let's wait."
The group obeyed. The cave filled with a tense silence, broken only by shallow breathing. Then, as if in silent response, a faint tremor ran through the floor.
Gareth's eyes widened more than usual.
"What was that?"
"That wasn't a normal quake…" Riveria murmured, closing her eyes to concentrate. "It's not the dungeon… it's something beyond this door. It's… reacting."
A second tremor, stronger, forced them to brace themselves. Small rocks tumbled from the cracks above. The torches flickered.
"The dungeon's shaking!?" Tione exclaimed.
"It's like something's moving down there!" Tiona shouted.
Bete stepped back, uneasy.
"I don't like this. None of this."
Finn, until now composed, frowned and placed his left hand on his chest.
"My thumb…" he said quietly.
"What?" asked Riveria.
"My left thumb… it's trembling like crazy." He held up his hand, the thumb visibly shaking from an erratic spasm. "It always happens when I'm close to a decision that will change everything. I feel it in my bones."
The shaking intensified for a second, rattling even the sturdiest pillars of the structure, then stopped abruptly.
A deathly silence fell, followed by a sense of emptiness, as if the world had exhaled in unison.
"Now," said Gareth with renewed resolve. "Shall we try? Whatever this is, it won't open itself."
He prepared to strike. Raising his fists, he was ready to throw flesh against stone, even knowing his bones might not survive the impact.
But just then, a metallic sound sliced through the tension like a blade. Instinctively, everyone raised their weapons and turned toward the source, the door.
A click. Then another. And then, with a soft vibration, the door began to open.
Not by external force—but as if it had lost its will.
"It's… opening on its own?" whispered Tiona.
Riveria nodded with narrowed eyes.
"Not entirely… something happened. The mechanisms suddenly lost power."
The gears turned with perfect mechanical precision. No creaks, no rust. It was technology far too advanced to be buried underground, yet it seemed something had severely weakened it.
As the door fully opened, they saw it.
Darkness. Absolute and complete.
"Then let's go," Gareth said without hesitation. "There's no turning back. Let's find out what's on the other side."
Everyone looked at each other, then nodded—a silent vote of agreement.
One by one, the members of the Loki Familia jumped in. There was no hesitation. No questioning. Their mission was clear: find Dix, uncover the purpose of the attack on Rivira, and seal the mysterious door if needed. At any cost.
Bete went next, leaping with a growl. The Amazons followed, as if diving from a cliff into a dark river. Lefiya was next, whispering to herself, "…Here I go…"
Finn looked back one last time. Then, without another word, he stepped into the darkness.
Riveria took a deep breath, feeling her magic weaken as she neared the threshold. She jumped next.
Only Ais remained.
The blonde swordswoman stared at the door with calm eyes. Her face was serene, but her mind was a sea of thoughts.
She turned for a moment, looking back down the hallway they had come from. One last look at the known world, at normalcy, at safety.
Then, without a word, she stepped forward and jumped.
Her figure shrank as she descended, slowly swallowed by the dark. There was no sound, no impact, no light. Only the blackness of Knossos closing behind her.
And with that, the group vanished.
Into the belly of the artificial labyrinth.
Into the unknown.
Where only secrets dwelled… and something that would change how they thought in ways they never imagined.
Scene Change
The cold darkness of Knossos enveloped the Xenos as they advanced through the halls of the artificial labyrinth. Gross and Lyd led the group with firm steps, followed closely by Ranye, Aude, Cliff, and Let, helping the Xenos most affected by Dix's staff.
"We're almost there! Don't give up!" shouted Lyd, his voice strong, trying to infuse hope into his group. Despite the fatigue and pain, his words resonated in the Xenos' hearts.
Turning a corner, the group stopped in their tracks. In front of them was a massive corridor, hundreds of meters long and at least a dozen wide. But that wasn't what stunned them. Just dozens of meters ahead stood a group of unknown people. Finn was at the front, flanked by Riveria and Gareth. Behind them were Ais, Bete, Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya. The visual impact was immediate. The Xenos stared at the adventurers with caution, all senses screaming to flee, imagining them as Dix's subordinates. In turn, the Loki Familia stared at the Xenos—creatures not only not attacking but seemingly helping other monsters, something unheard of.
"What… what is this?" murmured Riveria, unable to comprehend the scene before her eyes. She had never seen anything like it.
Finn, even with all his experience and cunning, wasn't in a better position. "They're not attacking… they're helping each other?"
Gareth frowned. "Something's very wrong here. Their behavior… it's strange, to say the least."
Tione and Tiona exchanged looks.
"Should we… attack?" asked Tione.
"I don't know," Finn replied. "There's no hostility. But we must be ready for anything. This isn't something we've ever seen."
Ais, with a cold gaze that could freeze anyone's blood, didn't hesitate. She drew her sword, Desperate, from its sheath.
Immediately, the Xenos went into high alert at Ais's actions. Her eyes burned with absolute hatred, but their greater concern was Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, whose oppressive aura eclipsed everyone else.
"What now?" Let asked, looking at Gross.
Instead of Gross, Lyd answered calmly while glancing at him. "I have a plan. On my signal, get behind me."
Gross looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.
Silence took hold of the corridor. Both groups stared at each other, the tension thick in the air. No one moved. No one spoke. It was a standoff without weapons—a battle of wills.
At last, Ais broke the silence. With sword in hand, she stepped forward.
"Ariel!" she shouted, her voice filled with determination and barely-contained hatred.
Without warning, she activated her unique magic, Ariel, and unleashed a devastating, rapid attack toward the Xenos. Her sword shone with blinding light as it cut through the air.
The Xenos, surprised by the sudden aggression, barely had time to react. Lyd, hyper-focused, shouted, "NOW!"
Gross moved between Ais and the rest, ready to assist Lyd if needed.
"ORAAA!" shouted Bete, charging with fury and an arrogant grin, following closely behind Ais, who was just meters from reaching Lyd and the others.
Finn, analyzing the situation, gave a quick command.
"Everyone, get ready—combat is starting!"
Tension peaked. The Xenos would fight for survival. Lyd stood at the front, followed closely by Gross. Ranye's gaze promised pain to anyone who tried to hurt her people. Aude and Let flanked the group, ready to give everything before falling. Cliff stayed near the still-weak Xenos, his posture declaring he'd die before letting any be harmed.
They faced the strongest members of the Loki Familia. The odds were not in their favor.
But just as battle seemed inevitable, a loud crash echoed down the hall. The Knossos door, which the Xenos had nearly passed through, began to close.
"What's happening?!" Tiona yelled, running toward the door.
"It's closing!" Riveria shouted. "They activated something!"
Seeing this, Ais pushed Ariel harder, her insane speed increasing further. She was about to reach Lyd—but at that moment, the door slammed shut, and the full force of her attack crashed into it.
The impact's vibration still echoed in the air. The dent in the door glimmered under the magical torchlight, a testament to the devastating power Ais had unleashed.
Finn quickly stepped forward, a mix of focus and confusion on his face. He stared at the sealed door, tension still in his shoulders, and his thumb continued to tremble.
"…Coincidence?"
"No… it wasn't a coincidence," Riveria said gravely. "That door… responded to them… and they knew it would close. They had a method to control it."
"You mean those monsters had the intelligence to do something like that?" Gareth asked, frowning.
"This is unheard of," Riveria replied, genuine confusion flashing in her eyes. "Impossible."
Ais remained silent. Her expression unchanged, but her breathing was erratic. Her gaze stayed locked on the door where the Xenos had vanished. Lefiya tried to speak to her, but she didn't seem to hear.
On the other side of the door...
The Xenos had barely made it in time. The echo of Ais's blow reverberated like the roar of a caged beast.
"That… was way too close," Ranye whispered, checking the youngest of the group.
Gross exhaled, muscles still taut.
"That blonde girl really wanted us dead. She seemed to hate us more than normal."
Let approached Lyd, concerned.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine... thank you. I'm glad we got the key to this labyrinth... if luck had turned against us... we'd be done for."
Cliff, eyes still fixed on the door, just shook his head. They were used to reactions like that.
Ranye continued.
"You see? Dreaming of peace with the surface dwellers is pointless. To them, we'll never stop being monsters."
A bitter silence fell over the Xenos.
"Let's move… we can't waste time," Gross, ever the leader, ordered. "We'll take another path. The exit's close. Once we're out, we won't have to worry about being caught."
The Xenos regrouped and continued down a tunnel, inching closer to freedom.
Gross spoke softly, almost as if not wanting to be heard.
"No matter how far we run. No matter how deep we hide. Sooner or later… the adventurers will catch up."
Lyd looked ahead, where a faint light began to glow at the tunnel's end.
"Then when they do… we need to be ready. Not to fight. But to show them we're not what they fear."
With those words full of hope, the Xenos finally emerged from the artificial labyrinth. They tasted freedom again. After so much struggle, after so much pain, they had saved their own—and that was worth celebrating.
As they moved farther from Dix's labyrinth, Ranye stopped. She looked back one last time at the entrance, a swirl of emotions in her eyes. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned and followed the group before they left her behind.